Incorporating technology in education is not new. In fact, one might even say that the two are merging together, as time has gone on. But one thing is for sure: had a pandemic like COVID-19 taken place before the 21st century, it would’ve affected the learning of students drastically across the world.

But now, in 2021, schools and universities have access to everything the Internet has to offer in order to keep students connected. And while many students and teachers alike have expressed their dislike for online school, there are still plenty of others who disagree, and believe that virtual learning could become an integral part of modern education.

Of course, not everyone was a fan of the shift to virtual. “I feel like sometimes I struggle to focus like I did when I was in a classroom environment,” says one ISB student. “Online also takes its tolls emotionally because it's hard connecting socially with others during the school day.” This is one of the major complaints for students and teachers alike: that being isolated at home with electronics on hand makes for a dire combination. “[They’re] not motivated anymore,” says Patricia Perez, an associate professor of international psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. “Young people like to make plans for the future, and it’s difficult to do that when they don’t know how long this new way of life will last.” Some reports also have shown some of the negative effects on mental health that this period of virtual school has taken on students, which often correlated with a drop in academic performance as well.

However, online school has also opened many windows and doors to a potential future of learning. “Students have been at the helm of technological change since a few years, relying increasingly on internet-based platforms such as Quora or Youtube instead of textbooks for knowledge or problem-solving,” says Pooja Goyal, Co-founder and COO of Avishkaar, a robotics and coding company. “This reliance on technology to learn, since the outbreak of the pandemic, has been mirrored by the teachers and schools alike, through uploading classes on Youtube or taking a live classroom session on Zoom.”

So while online classes/courses are not new, COVID-19 has allowed people to see that education can be conducted completely over the Internet. “We surprised even ourselves” in their ability to do it, said Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. ISB students have also mentioned some of the things they enjoyed about virtual classes, which include having a more flexible schedule and being able to work in an environment of their choice- things that in-person learning often couldn’t provide. Online learning also has the benefits of being more environmentally friendly and cheaper in the long-term, as campuses and all the systems that keep it running are very energy-consuming. But of course, “the need for a more nimble and innovative approach to education will remain long after the pandemic ends" (Reuters).

Technology has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon, and there’s no telling of how education will follow. So while ISB has returned to campus, the question remains: could there be a future where online learning becomes the new norm?